If the two of you are just friends, they may be sending this emoji as a way of saying, “I appreciate you. ” Sending the same emoji back is a lot like saying, “I appreciate you, too!”
There’s a third kissy face you could use, too. It’s not a popular emoji, but the peck with the blushing cheeks (😚) kind of signals that you want to kiss them back but you’re a little shy.
The “see no evil” emoji (🙈) is a cuter alternative to this. It’s kind of like you can’t even look at them you’re so in love!
This is also a safer way to go than something like 🥰 or 😚 if you really want them to know you appreciate them without crossing into “I like you” territory.
You could also just send the 💪 emoji for a less flirty option. The 😋 emoji is a more playful way that sort of implies, “Yeah, I’m super happy, too!”
You can also send the surprised emoji (👀) as if to say, “What’s up then?” or, “Oh, it’s like that?!” The devil-y smile (😈) is a really hot way of saying, “I’m down to do something dirty if you are. ” The couple in love emoji (👩🏾❤️💋👩🏾) is solid if you want something romantic and intimate, but more focused on the romance and not so much the touching or sex. The explicitly sexual emojis, (🍆, 💦, or 🍑) are good choices if the two of you are a little older and you’ve been physically intimate before, but they’re probably not good options if your relationship isn’t there yet or you’re super young.
If the kissy face emoji kind of came out of nowhere, look at the texts above them. If there was nothing to indicate that they’re being genuine, they’re probably messing with you or joking. You can also send the 😐 emoji to say, “What are you trying to do here, goofball…” or, “Alright, knock it off. ” The unamused face (😒) is a fun way of going, “Oh, leave me alone,” in a playful way.
For example, you could send something like 👰 🤵 as a way of saying, “Well, I guess we’re basically married now. ” You might send, 👨🏿👀👧🏿 to say, “Okay, I see what you’re doing!” If you wanted to ask them out, you might send something like, 👨➕👩=🎥❓ as a way of asking them out to the movies.
Most phones have a built-in gif library you can scroll through to find something relevant.
You could say, “Aw, you always know how to pick my mood up,” or, “You’re such a sweetheart. ” For a flirtier option, you can say, “You’re such a cutie,” or, “Thanks for the love, handsome!”
The goal here is to get them to show their hand. If they’re into you and they’re trying to flirt, this should get them to make it a little clearer. If they’re just playing around, they might send a 😂 or something like that back.